We have lift off! The first easyJet service has taken off from Newcastle Airport to fly to Barcelona, Alicante and Belfast.

We have lift off! The first easyJet service has taken off from Newcastle Airport to fly to Barcelona, Alicante and Belfast.

Europe's largest low-cost airline also announced today that advanced bookings have reached 100,000 for the six new routes from Newcastle, unveiled last December.

Following yesterday's launch to Barcelona, Alicante and Belfast, further easyJet flights from Newcastle to Paris, Prague and Bristol will begin on August 1.

The four new continental routes will boost Newcastle's scheduled international air links by 50 per cent.

Among the first to use the service were Alastair Foster and Amanda Peak, both of Heaton.

Mr Foster said: "Our two best friends live in Belfast and these new flights will make it much easier for us to get there."

They paid &#xA3;1 each way.

Easyjet's marketing manager Moira Findlay said: "The fact we have sold 100,000 seats already on our Newcastle flights makes this one of our most successful launches ever. It demonstrates the huge demand there is in the North East for low-cost flights.

"These flights are proving extremely popular, so I would urge people to book quickly.

"As well as offering new leisure travel opportunities, the new routes will also help attract tourists to the area and provide a huge boost to local businesses."

John Parkin, chief executive at Newcastle Airport, said: "We are delighted by the region's response to the availability of easyJet services from our airport."

Mike Collier, chief executive of development agency One NorthEast, said: "Today marks a regional milestone as the first easyJet low-cost flights take off for Spain, opening up the North East to a wider European audience important to both leisure and business visitor markets."

Newcastle was the first new easyJet base to be announced since the company's merger with Go made it Europe's largest low-cost airline.

It is easyJet's fourth regional base in the UK and the airline anticipates carrying 750,000 passengers from Newcastle in the first year.